Dan‑Ni Zhou1,2 · Shu‑Guang Yang2  · Saijilafu1  · Feng‑Quan Zhou2

1 Key Laboratory of Novel Targets and Drug Study for Neural Repair of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Hangzhou City University, Hangzhou 310015, China 

2 Center for Translational Neural Regeneration Research, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310016, China

Abstract

Retinal organoids (ROs) are three-dimensional in vitro models that replicate the specific cellular composition and inner structure of the retina. Currently, ROs derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been shown to mimic both the structure and function of the human retina. Furthermore, ROs function as a powerful model system for researchers, facilitating the investigation of the pathogenesis and treatment strategies of retinal diseases. Despite their development for over a decade, ROs remain limited in terms of complexity and clinical application. This review summarizes recent advances in the development of retinal differentiation methods and underscores their potential applications in disease modeling, gene therapy, cell transplantation, and drug screening. In addition, it proposes research directions that are geared towards advancing RO methodologies to further broaden their applications.

Keywords

Retinal organoids; Human pluripotent stem cells; 3D differentiation; Disease modeling; Gene therapy; Cell transplantation; Drug screening

[SpringerLink]